Two back-to-back reports that shed light on the status of MGNREGA implementation in the country, have been released recently from the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD). A review of MGNREGA implementation in 8 different states of India by a team of experts during the month of May this year reveals that in many of the drought affected districts, the Gram Panchayats have no work to offer under the programme. (Please click...

-PTI NEW DELHI: Often under attack over alleged poor execution of MGNREGA scheme, Government today claimed the average person days employment generated per household last fiscal was highest in eight years at 49 days even as there was improvement in timely payment of wages under the livelihood programme during the span. In its report titled, 'Performance, Initiatives and Strategies FY 2015-16 and FY 2016-17', the government claimed that a total of 235...

-The Indian Express This is the first time in the decade-long history of the rural livelihood generation scheme that the ministry has released a performance outcome of assets. Marking a shift of focus under the MGNREGA from mere job generation to asset creation, the Ministry of Rural Development has released a report on creation of irrigation potential for more than 46.57 lakh hectares, and individual assets for 33 lakh people under...

-The Financial Express The rural development ministry has identified unrealistic planning at gram panchayat level, lack of quality assets created, inadequate capacity of functionaries, inadequate technical staff, lack of monitoring and delay in wage payment, as factors adversely impacting the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The report on performance, initiatives and strategies (FY15-16 and FY16-17) for MGNREGA released by the rural development ministry also identified issues...

-The Indian Express Across the country, wage employment generated under the scheme has gone up from 32 crore person-days in April - May 2015 to 51 crore person-days in the corresponding months of 2016. Signalling an increase in uptake of MGNREGA work on the ground owing to drought as well as the slow revival of the scheme itself, the person-days generated in the first two months of the financial year has gone...